A Deadpool Cameo Was Considered For Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
The premise of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (and it's all right there in the title) paved the way for lots of speculation as to what might actually happen in this movie. The possibilities were, quite literally, infinite. But Marvel Studios and director Sam Raimi also ran the risk of letting this devolve into a cameo festival. It was a delicate balance that needed to be struck. In attempting to find that balance, it has been revealed that a came from none other than Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool was at least considered.
The reveal comes from writer Michael Waldron, who recently spoke with Comicbook.com about his work on the MCU sequel. They asked him directly whether or not Deadpool was considered at any point in the process and Waldron actually gave a straight answer. Here's what he had to say about it:
"Yeah, we talked about it. I think we talked about everything in this movie. So, [it] would've been crazy to not raise that, but it ultimately didn't feel like... It just didn't feel the right place. But yeah, of course we talked about it."
Again, the possibilities of what could happen in a movie like this were enormous so, naturally, a lot of conversation about what to actually do probably took place. To that end, the notion of bringing Tom Cruise in to play a variant of Iron Man within the multiverse was at least thought about but, in the end, was never actually going to happen. This, however, seemed far more plausible given Reynolds' love for the character. Though it is tough to imagine where he would have fit into the movie as it exists.
Fitting Deadpool into the MCU
One thing that remains completely up in the air a full four years removed from "Deadpool 2" is just how, precisely, the character is going to fit into the larger MCU. The first two entries in the franchise were incredibly successful and "Deadpool 3" was seemingly a top priority at Fox. But the Disney merger, which went into effect in 2019, upended any and all plans Fox had going, particularly with the Marvel characters it previously controlled. The question of fitting this R-rated franchise into the already established MCU still feels like a square peg, round hole situation.
Reynolds remains enthused and the good news is that progress is being made. "Deadpool 3" recently landed Shawn Levy ("Free Guy," "The Adam Project") to fill in the director's chair, with original writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick back on board to tackle the script. We can only hope that the spirit of this franchise can keep true to what made it so successful in the first place. And perhaps not shoehorning Deadpool into "Multiverse of Madness" should be taken as a good omen.
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is in theaters now.